Container lid



March 1, 1966 l. D. WAGNER 3,237,802

CONTAINER LID Filed April 20, 1964 I i 1 1 1i i 52 44 \Z /s I N 11/ i 48l4 Irv/n 0. W0 ner IZ/ 1 l8 lNV ENTOR ATTORNEYS United States Patent3,237,802 CONTAINER LID Irvin D. Wagner, 301 E. Derry Road, Hershey, Pa.Filed Apr. 20, 1964, Ser. No. 360,884- 4 Claims. ((31. 22097) Thisinvention relates to containers and more particularly it relates to alid for use on containers of the can type to permit such containers tobe nested or stacked upon one another.

One of the problems encountered in shipping and storing containers suchas metal cans is the fact that such cans do not readily stack upon oneanother. This is essentially due to the constructional characteristicsof a can which has at least one and usually two separate end closureswhich are connected to the body of the can by means of clenched endseams. These clenched seams project beyond the planes of the endclosures with the result that when one can is stacked upon another, theend seam of one can rests either upon the end seam of the next adjacentcan or upon the can end itself if the can end is formed without an endseam. In either in stance, the pair of mating cans are precariouslybalanced since even slight misalignment will cause the end seam of onecan to extend beyond the edges of the other can, and the weight of theuppermost can contents may be sufiicient to tip that can completelyover, depending upon the degree of misalignment. Naturally, if a stackis several cans in height, this tendency toward misalignment of one orseveral of the cans is increased.

Another factor which gravitates toward instability of stacked cans isthe use of plugtype closures in the covers. These plug-type closures aregenerally frictionally or threadably received within the covers and areprovided with some form of projecting head which facilitates theirremoval. If the height of such a head is too great, the bottom of eachcan will rest solely upon the head of the plug in the can beneath it.Since the size of the plug is generally quite small in relation to thesize of the can, there is a strong tendency for a can supported solelyupon a small plug to tip or lean sideways. If the plugs in the coversare located eccentrically or off center, it is almost impossible for thecans to be stacked or nested satisfactorily.

In merchandising outlets such as supermarkets, the problem isparticularly acute since canned items are generally displayed in stacksseveral cans in height. Each time a consumer removes one can from thestack, there is a tendency for the other cans in the stack to becomemisaligned. This not only creates an unsightly display, but alsoutilizes an inordinate amount of space which could be used for storingother items. Furthermore, if a stack of cans should become misaligned tosuch a point where they tip over, the toppling cans can create a safetyhazard for anyone in their path. Finally, if and when such cans do fall,they generally sustain dents and nicks which tend to ruin theirappearance and sometimes make opening more difiicult.

One further consideration with respect to containers of the can type isthe opening features. Imperforate end closures are well known forhermetically sealing cans and such closures are generally opened by aconventional can opener. Perforated end closures having a friction plugor screw plug mounted therein are also well known, and such closures areopened by removal of the plug. Plug-type closures are generally used oncontainers where the product is not to be entirely dispensed or used upin one operation. Thus, the plug can be removed, a small amount of theproduct can be dispensed, and the plug then can be returned orreinserted in its original position to close the container and protectthe remainder of the product. However, in some instances,

3,2318% Patented Mar. 1, 1966 a consumer may purchase a container havinga plug type closure and may wish to utilize nearly all of the productwithin that container. In such a situation, the consumer has twochoices; he may either remove the plug and slowly and laboriously pourout the contents through the small plug opening, or he may open thecontainer on a can opener by severing the entire end closure. The latterchoice is, of course, much quicker and simpler, but if a small amount ofproduct remains within the container after dispensing is completed,there has heretofore been no way to reclose the container to protectthat remaining product.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to overcome theaforementioned problems present in prior art containers and to providean improved container construction.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a container lidwhich permits containers to be nested or stacked one upon the other.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a container lidwhich can be utilized as a reclosure means.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a lid for ascrew-plug type container, which lid can be secured to the container toprevent its inadvertent removal, and which lid can be easily and readilyremoved and replaced, as desired.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a container lidwhich can be easily manufactured, which is durable and inexpensive,which is attractive, and which is easily manipulative.

Other objects, advantages and salient features of the present inventionwill become apparent from the following detailed description, which,taken in connection with the annexed drawings, discloses a preferredembodiment thereof.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded fragmentary perspective view of a container andlid in accordance with the principles 0f the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view of the exploded configuration of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of a modified form of container lid; and,

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the lid of FIGURE 3 utilizedon a modified form of container.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, and as canbe seen generally in FIGURE 1, there is provided a container generallydesignated 10 which includes a body generally designated 12 and an endclosure generally designated 14. A lid generally designated 16 isadapted to overlie the container and closure and to be retained in thisposition by a plug means generally designated 18.

As can be seen in FIGURES 1 and 2, the container body 12 is formed withupstanding body walls 20 which define a tubular, and preferablycylindrical, body shape. The end closure 14 is formed of a generallyflat or planar sheet, preferably metal, which has an outer or externalsurface 22 and an inner or internal surface 24. Adjacent its outeredges, the end closure turns upwardly into an upstanding vertical wall26 which interfolds with the body Walls 20 to form a convention doubleseam generally designated 28. This double seam forms the upper end seamof the container 10 and serves to hermetically secure the end closure 14to the body 12. An aperture 30 having threaded side walls 32 is formedwithin the end closure 14, preferably, but not necessarily, in thecenter thereof.

The lid 16 can be formed either as the embodiment shown in FIGURE 2 oras the embodiment shown in FIGURE 3, and in each of these embodiments,the lid is comprised of a central panel 34 with an integral rim portion36 formed at its periphery. In the embodiment of FIGURE 2, the centralpanel 34 is coextensive with the fiat portion of the end closure 14 andis provided with an upstanding vertical wall 38 which is adapted to liein parallel contacting juxtaposition to the vertical wall 26 on the endclosure. The lid vertical wall 38 then merges into a web 40 which issubstantially parallel to the central panel 34 and which is adapted tooverlie the top of the double seam 28. The rim portion 36 includes adownwardly extending skirt 42 which depends perpendicularly from the web40 and is adapted to surround the outside of the double seam 28 and alsoincludes an upturned or upwardly projecting skirt 44 which extendsperpendicularly from the web 40 and oppositely to the skirt 42. Theouter surfaces of the skirts 42 and 44 are continuous and coplanar toform with the web 40, a generally T-shaped cross-section.

It can thus be appreciated that a generally U-shaped channel 46 isformed between the skirt 42 and the vertical wall 38 and this channel isadapted to receive the container double seam 28. The upturned skirt 44serves to circumscribe a cavity or recess having a lateral extent atleast equal to that of the base of the container body 12 and it therebyprovides a means whereby similar containers '10 may be nested or stackedupon one another. When the lid 16 is secured to one container 10,another similar container 10 may be placed above the one container withthe base of the other container being received within the lid skirt 44and resting upon the web 40. The skirt 44 keeps the upper container inalignment with the lower one and thus prevents any inadvertent oraccidental tipping of the containers regardless of how many are stackedupon one another. In general, thermoplastic is the preferred lidmaterial and since the lid embodiment shown in FIGURE 2 need not bedeformed in any manner, it can be fabricated of a rigid thermoplasticsuch as polystyrene, but, if desired, it can also be fabricated of aflexible thermoplastic such as polyethylene. An aperture 48 is formedwithin the central panel 34 of the lid 16, and this aperture 48 ispositioned for axial alignment with the threaded aperture 30 of the endclosure 14. The lid aperture 48 is formed with a diameter larger thanthat of the threaded aperture 30 for a purpose which will be presentlydescribed.

The plug 18, which serves to assemble the container 10 and lid :16together, is formed with a shank portion 50 and an enlarged head portion52 at one end of the shank portion. Screw threads 54 are formed on theexterior of the shank portion and are adapted to engage and mate withthe threads 32 on the walls of the end closure aperture 30. A slot orgroove 56 is formed in the plug '18 and is adapted to receive ascrewdriver or other similar tool. To assemble the lid to the container,the lid 16 is placed over the end closure 14 with the U-shaped channel46 receiving the double seam 28. The plug shank 50 is passed through thelid aperture 48 and is screwed into the threaded end closure aperture30, either manually or by means of a tool insertable in the plug slot56. The lid aperture 48 is larger than the shank portion 50 of the plugso that the threads 54 do not contact the lid 16. However, the plug headportion 52 has a lateral extent greater than the diameter of theaperture 54 and as a result, the underside of the head portion 52contacts the lid central panel 34 and forces into engaging contact withthe external surface 22 on the end closure 14. The en gagement betweenthe plug threads 54 and the end closure threads 32 not only serves toseal the container but also serves to secure the plug :18 and endclosure 14 together, with the lid 16 being sandwiched therebetween.

The lid embodiment of FIGURE 3 can also be utilized on a container suchas is illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2. The lid 16 of FIGURE 3 has acentral panel 34 and a rim portion 36 just as in the lid of FIGURE 2,but the central panel of the FIGURE 3 lid is completely planar and isnot provided with any U-shaped channel 46. When the FIGURE 3 lid isapplied to a container, the central panel outer edges rest upon thedouble seam 28 and keep the remainder of the central panel 34 and theaperture 43 spaced away from the upper surface 22 of the end closure 14.However, the lid 16 shown in FIGURE 3 is fabricated of some suitableflexible and resilient material such as polyethylene so that when theplug 18 is threaded into the end closure aperture 30, the plug headportion 52 will deform at least a part of the lid central panel downwardto the position shown in dotted lines, whereat that portion of thecentral panel marginal to the aperture 46 is brought into contact withthe end closure outer surface 22.

The height of the plug head portion 52 is kept shallow enough to preventit from coming in contact with the base of a container stacked withinthe lid 16, even if the base of the stacked container is perfectly flat.Thus, the height of the portion 52 is kept smaller than that of the endclosure vertical wall 26 upon which the stacked container rests and inthis way, regardless of whether the \FIGURE 2 lid or the FIGURE 3 lid isutilized, the plug head will not contact the upper stacked container andthus cannot lift it upwardly beyond the height of the skirt 44- and thecontainers therefore cannot become misaligned.

It is also possible to have a container body formed with an integral topwall 58 which acts as an end closure 16 but does not have an end seamsuch as 28. Such a container body is shown in FIGURE 4 and can be formedby high pressure extrusion or by deep drawing and ironing. A separatebottom end closure 60 can be provided for such a container and this endclosure can be connected to the body walls 20 by a single seam type ofend seam generally designated 62. A lid 16, of the type shown in FIGURE3, can be assembled to such a container with the lid central panel 34being superimposed contacting position with the top wall 58. The plug 18keeps the lid 16 assembled to the container in the manner previouslydescribed and the skirt 44 on the lid receives the end seam 62 on thebottom of a similar container and thus mounts that container in astacked and aligned position. The height of the plug head portion 52 iskept smaller than the height of the bottom end seam 62 and therefore theplug head is kept out of contact with the bottom end closure 60.

In operation, each container 10 is closed by screwing the plug 18 intothe threaded aperture 30, thereby both sealing the container andafiixing the lid 16 thereto. When it is desired to dispense from thecontainer, a suitable tool may be inserted in the slot 56 and the plugmay be unscrewed and removed, thus permitting the container contents tobe dispensed through the aperture 30. If the consumer, however, desiresa more convenient and quicker means for opening and closing thecontainer, and if the container need not be kept hermetically sealed,the end closure 16 may be peripherally severed by a conventional rotarycan opener. This may be accomplished after first removing the plug 18and the lid 16. Then, if the plug is again passed through the lid andscrewed into the aperture 30 in the now severed end closure panel, theresult is a composite cover formed of the lid and the end closure panel.This composite cover can be placed back over the opened container withthe lid skirt 42 engaging either the double seam 28 or the body Walls20. The head portion 52 on the plug acts as a knob by which thecomposite cover can be grasped and easily removed from and replaced uponthe opened container.

It should be apparent from the foregoing detailed description that theobjects set forth at the outset of this specifications have beensuccessfully achieved. Accordingly, What is claimed is:

1. As an article of manufacture, a thermoplastic lid for a dispensingcontainer having a screw-plug closure, said lid comprising:

a central panel having an aperture therein; and

a rim portion integral with and located at the periphery of said centralpanel;

said central panel having a planar portion in which said aperture isformed, a vertical wall portion extending upwardly from the periphery ofsaid planar portion, and a web portion extending laterally from theupper edge of said vertical wall portion;

said planar portion and said web portion thus being parallel to oneanother and spaced apart by said vertical wall portion;

said rim portion being formed at the periphery of said web portion andincluding a depending skirt extending perpendicularly downward from saidweb portion;

said rim portion also including an upturned skirt extendingperpendicularly upward from said web portion;

said depending and upturned skirts being coplanar with one another toform a single annular band surrounding said central panel;

said depending skirt and said vertical wall portion being in spacedparallel juxtaposition to one another and defining therebetween agenerally U-shaped annular channel.

2. A lid as defined in claim 1 wherein the thermoplastic of which saidlid is fabricated is a flexible and resilient material.

3. In combination:

a container; and

a lid for said container;

said container including a body having side walls and an end closuresecured to and extending between said side walls at one end thereof;

said end closure having a threaded aperture therein forming saidcontainer dispensing opening;

said container also including a plug having a head portion and athreaded shank portion adapted to screw into said threaded aperture saidlid including a central panel with a rim portion at its periphery;

said central panel having an aperture therein larger than said plugshank portion but smaller than said plug head portion;

said lid rim portion including a downwardly extending skirt whichsurrounds said body side walls; said lid rim portion further includingan upwardly extending skirt which projects above said end closure andwhich is adapted to receive and retain the base of a similar containerto be stacked upon said container;

said container and said lid being detachably coupled together by passingsaid plug shank portion through through said lid aperture and screwingit into said threaded aperture whereby said plug head portion forces atleast a part of said central panel into engagement with said end closurewhen said plug is fully screwed into said threaded aperture;

said container and said lid, when detachably coupled,

serving to prevent misalignment between said similar container and saidcontainer, when stacked one upon the other.

4. A combination as defined in claim 3 wherein said plug head portion isof a shallow enough height to prevent it from contacting the base ofsaid similar container nested within the upwardly extending skirt ofsaid lid.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,232,789 7/1917Gibson 220-39 2,326,414 8/1943 Thompson 22097 2,766,891 10/1956 Elzer.M-

2,95'7,601 10/1960 Novick 22097 2,960,256 11/1960 Feibelman 2203,135,418 6/1964 Tracy 220-97 THERON E. CON DON, Primary Examiner.GEORGE E. LOWRANCE, Examiner.

1. AS AN ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE, A THERMOPLASTIC LID FOR A DISPENSINGCONTAINER HAVING A SCREW-PLUG CLOSURE, SAID LID COMPRISING: A CENTRALPANEL HAVING AN APERTURE THEREIN; AND A RIM PORTION INTEGRAL WITH THELOCATED AT THE PERIPHERY OF SAID CENTRAL PANEL; SAID CENTRAL PANELHAVING A PLANAR POSITION IN WHICH SAID APERTURE IS FORMED, A VERTICALWALL PORTION EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM THE PERIPHERY OF SAID PLANARPORTION, AND A WEB PORTION EXTENDING LATERALLY FROM THE UPPER EDGE OFSAID VERTICAL WALL PORTION; SAID PLANAR PORTION AND SAID WEB PORTON THUSBEING PARALLEL TO ONE ANOTHER AND SPACED APART BY SAID VERTICAL WALLPORTION; SAID RIM PORTION BEING FORMED AT THE PERIPHERY OF SAID WEBPORTION AND INCLUDING A DEPENDING SKIRT EXTENDING PERPENDICULARLYDOWNWARD FROM SAID WEB PORTION; SAID RIM PORTION ALSO INCLUDING ANUPTURNED SKIRT EXTENDING PERPENDICULARLY UPWARD FROM SAID WEB PORTION;SAID DEPENDING AND UPTURNED SKIRTS BEING COPLANAR WITH ONE ANOTHER TOFORM A SINGLE ANNULAR BAND SURROUNDING SAID CENTRAL PANEL; SAIDDEPENDING SKIRT AND SAID VERTICAL WALL PORTION BEING IN SPACED PARALLELJUXTAPOSITION TO ONE ANOTHER AND DEFINING THEREBETWEEN A GENERALLYU-SHAPED ANNULAR CHANNEL.